BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR
City council elections Nov. 8 stand to be lively with seven candidates in Saugatuck and five in Douglas seeking four open 2-year seats in each. In Saugatuck Township, a parks millage request will be on the ballot.
After years of near-uncontested Saugatuck council elections/re-elections the city has seen seats contested the last three yearly cycles in particular.
There, 2-year incumbents Scott Dean and Lauren Stanton seek re-election, while 40-year council veteran Mark Bekken and 8-year member Ken Trester no longer are.
Vying also for seats are former mayors Catherine Simon and Jane Verplank plus Gregory Muncey, Helen Baldwin and Mark Miller.
In Douglas council veteran Neal Seabert and recent appointee Phil Topper seek return, Aaron Miller and Mike Van Loon chose not to.
Also filing petitions were past council member Dan Urquhart plus newcomers John O’Malley and Randy Walker.
Saugatuck Township Nov. 8 will see a 10-year, 0.5-mill property tax levy to operate and maintain parks, create and maintain public trail, and acquire, preserve, maintain and conserve park property and natural areas.
A half-mill, or 50 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, would amount for example on a $200,000 home to $100 each year. It would raise an estimated $195,352 the first year based current state-equalized values.
